Moments that Matter
by missglitter22
Summary: My exploration through one shots of key moments in the Gilmore Universe, some expanded upon from what happened in show, and some imagined.
1. September 2015

_September 2015_

"Hey, Michel, please tell Luisa that the carpet in room eleven needs scrubbed, there was a spill. Thank you," Lorelai was in the middle of the afternoon rush at the inn, making sure everything was exactly at the standard she always wanted for her customers. It was chaos, but good chaos, her favorite kind of chaos. This feeling was reason why she started this whole endeavor coming up on ten years ago now. No day was perfect, but that's how she liked it.

"Tell me why you can't do these things?" Michel replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Because I don't have the time right now, we are understaffed, and I need to go work on the bookkeeping- accountant said she wanted the records by the end of December. Just please help me out,"

"Fine,"

"Thanks, you're the best," Lorelai replied as she walked away and toward her office. There were times that Michel really got to her nerves, sometimes she wished he had more of a welcoming and open attitude toward the guests, but at the end of the day, she had known him for over twenty years and he was a great friend and a great asset to the running of the inn.

With her employees off to doing the tasks she requested of them, Lorelai set to doing the bookkeeping. For some reason, she enjoyed the focused monotony of this task- read from the expenses list, calculate, type into spreadsheet, repeat. It was soothing to her in a way. She sank down into her leather desk chair, not realizing she felt tired until that moment. It was only ten in the morning, but the day had been busy already. Regardless, there wasn't really time for a rest, she had to get to work.

"Oh, Excel, why do you look so complicated?" Lorelai said out loud to her desktop computer. "They really should make this a little more straightforward for us normal people," she laughed at this expression, realizing she was effectively talking to no one in particular, feeling a little delirious. It had been a late night, up with Rory (who was in town for the Harvest Festival) talking about life and watching movies just as they used to. With Rory living in New York now, these nights were a little more infrequent than they used to be and that she would have liked them to be, but they still meant just as much, even if they taught her and Rory one thing- they were older now, and couldn't stay up as late as they used to, without feeling completely wiped the next day. They were still the same coffee guzzling, gossiping, fast talking mother daughter duo they'd always been, just a little older and hopefully a little wiser.

The time passed quickly as Lorelai worked. She listened to the easy listening music currently being played by the piano player in the dining room outside her door and got lost in her own thoughts.

"Okay, last calculation!" she exclaimed about twenty minutes later, as she reached the bottom of her spreadsheet. She turned to her phone, and reopened the calculator to complete the last box. Then the screen flashed, displaying the words Mom Cell and a picture of Emily, indicating a call. This was odd, Emily almost never called when she knew her daughter was working. So, it had to be something urgent. She pressed the green accept button and lifted the phone to her ear. "Mom,"

"Lorelai," Emily sounded breathless, panicked. "You need to come now, to Hartford General,"

"Wait, what?" Lorelai replied, adding her own note of panic to her voice. "Why? What's going on? That's not a happy place," she asked for the details, but in her heart, she had a suspicion. It had to be something about her father. He had been in poor health for most of the year, in and out of the hospital for various reasons. It was tough for her to see her once strong father so down on his luck, but even tougher for her to see her mother struggle alongside him.

"It's your father," Emily chocked out. "He's had a major heart attack. He's fading in and out of consciousness, and the doctors are saying that there might not be much they can do, and to say our goodbyes,"

"Oh, Mom," Lorelai gasped. She knew this moment would come, and even was trying to prepare herself, but really wasn't ready. You can never be ready, but the thing about life is that it changes in an instant. "I'll call Rory, and then we'll be there. Be strong, Mom. He needs you more than ever right now," Lorelai said and emotional but rushed goodbye and then hung up. The odd thing, she noted, was how simply her phone returned to being a calculator, just a machine doing its work, as if the phone hadn't given her life changing news. She rushed out to Michel's desk. "Michel, I need to leave. Like right now," she announced to him.

"In the middle of the day, when we are understaffed?"

"My father's just had a heart attack, apparently it's pretty bad, they are saying we need to come now and say our goodbyes. I know it's not really in your job description, but you're going to need to take care of things for the rest of today and probably for the next few days. I need to be a daughter and a mom first right now,"

"Oh, Lorelai. I am so sorry, I didn't mean to be harsh,"

"Thanks, I'll keep you updated when I can," Lorelai found her purse and coat and then left.

"Please pick up," she internally begged Rory from the car as the phone rang. Luckily, it was as if Rory sensed this, and she answered immediately. "Mom!"

"It's grandpa, Rory. He's had a heart attack. Looking like we're going to need to say goodbye. Meet me at Hartford General,"

"Got it," Rory said stoically. "Love you," and then she hung up.

With the necessary calls made, Lorelai put the car in drive and began her journey. Tears blurred her vision as she drove. When she was younger, she saw her father as invincible. He didn't have issues of his own, he was the guy that took care of his family during theirs. And yet all the same, she felt a sense of peace. He had suffered enough with all the health issues, it was time for him to rest.

She arrived to the hospital as quickly as she could and parked in the Emergency Family Visit area. Haphazardly, she locked her Jeep and ran in through the double doors.

"I need to know where Richard Gilmore's room is, I'm his daughter!" she nearly yelled when she reached the desk. "Room twenty five, just down the hall,"

Lorelai walked quickly to the room but quietly, reverently pushed the door open. She noticed her mother sitting vigil by the bed.

"Hi," she whispered to the room, and then, walking over to the bed, added an "I'm here, daddy,"

"Lorelai?" Richard said, hoarse. "Can you believe this? I'm Richard Gilmore, and this dumb heart attack is bringing me down!" he managed a small smile. "But I'm so glad you're here now,"

"That's right," she reassured him, giving him a peck on the forehead. "I'm here and I'm not going to leave you, and Rory's on her way, too,"

As if on cue, Rory walked through the door and joined her mother and grandmother at the bedside. She gave her own greeting to Richard and ultimately settled in on a couch by the window. The family knew that they would be here for a while, but there was nowhere else they wanted to be. They needed to support the pillar of their family, just as he had done for them countless times, as he made his next journey.

Morning turned into afternoon and then into night, with everyone staying by Richard's side, taking breaks only to get a much needed caffeine boost or snack. He was conscious at times, but mostly sleeping and not very vocal. They wanted him to be comfortable and feel like he had touches of his own surroundings and interests, so Rory read the newspaper aloud and then played him some of his favorite music on her phone. Occasionally, someone would pipe up with a memory or story they felt like sharing, but for the most part, everyone was quiet, wanting Richard to be at peace. Eventually everyone dozed off, hearts tired but minds still racing.

It was about two in the morning, and the nurse walked in for vital check. She walked quietly up to a sleeping Richard , and tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me, sir, "she said quietly. "I need to take some vitals"

"Get away from me!" Richard growled at her, still hoarse . For the past hour, he had been restless, but had found sleep only for this nurse to wake him. Emily stirred at this commotion, and immediately went into protective wife mode.

"My husband is dying!" she exclaimed at the nurse. "He needs rest, not to have a thermometer shoved in his mouth," "It's just policy," the nurse replied. "We give every patient vital checks every two hours,"

"I don't care!" Emily shot back. "You need to leave him alone"

Eventually, when the nurse realized how quickly Richard condition was declining, she decided to rest the matter and left the family alone.

They went back to their sleeping areas, only to suddenly hear gasping and gurgling from Richard. Knowing what this meant, they rushed to his bedside.

"I love you so much, grandpa," Rory started. She bent to put her head on his chest and then continued. " thank you for always being there for me, even when I wasn't as appreciative of you as I should have been. You've taught me so much and I will carry with me forever all of those lessons. Rest easy, " she kissed him on the cheek.

"Oh, dad," Lorelai spoke up next. "I just want you to know that I love you so much, and I am so grateful that in the past years we have grown closer. I know in the past we had disagreements, and I haven't always been the best daughter, but in the end I hope you know how much you mean to me," she gave him a kiss and wiped her eyes.

Ultimately, Rory and Lorelai decided that her mother deserved to be the last one Richard saw, and decided to let them have their last moments as a couple alone. The girls sat on the floor together, holding onto each other, almost crumpled into balls. As much as they knew this day would come, they still felt broken.

"I can't believe it," Rory sniffled. She leaned her head against her mother's shoulder."He seemed like one of the people that we would never lose. He was always so strong for the rest of us. And poor grandma... we're going to have to watch out for her even more."

"I know," Lorelai said tearfully. "But we have each other, and we will get through this. It's gonna take a while, and our family will never really feel the same, but eventually the pain will lessen,"

The pair continued to sit there for another hour, and just as the sun was rising, Emily came back out into the hallway, nearly hysterical. "Well, he's gone," she stammered, and nearly collapsed onto the floor, overcome with grief. Immediately Rory and Lorelai ran to her side, and enveloped her in a hug. They didn't really know what to say, so they just stood there in silence, doing the best they could to offer comfort.

After a while, they managed to put Emily a little more at ease, and together the three took care of the business matters before they decided it would be best to just go home. It was almost evening after all the paperwork was done, and they were weary, both emotionally and physically. Rory was meant to travel back to her apartment in Brooklyn that night, only home for a very short visit, but given the days events, she didn't feel right leaving her family and needed to be close to them. She had also came to the conclusion with her mother that they should have Emily stay with them for the night and potentially for a few days. Sure, they could have helped her back to Hartford, but they figured that staying at the home she shared with Richard would feel too empty and glum now. Plus, they wanted to keep an eye on her, make sure she was eating and sleeping properly and taking care of herself. Rory would meet them at Lorelai's shortly- she was getting some clothes and essentials for Emily's stay.

"Okay, we're here, Mom," Lorelai said gently and turned off the car. She helped her mother out of it and then kept her steady as they walked to the house.

"We're here," Lorelai called as they walked in. She had called Luke from the hospital, he had offered to come and sit with them, but she had told him that she wanted him to clean their guest room area and cook a good dinner instead, to ensure Emily had something to eat and then a place to rest.

"Hey," Luke said quietly, and he stood in the entryway with his unofficial-but-pretty-much wife and his almost mother in law, nobody saying a word but the silence saying everything. In an attempt to break it, Luke piped up. "Emily, if you're hungry, I made some chicken,"

"That would be nice," Emily said, hoarse from crying. And so everyone, including Rory who by then had arrived to the house, went to have dinner.

No one really ate much, and after they were finished, even though it was only seven forty five, everyone was exhausted and collectively decided to go to bed. As Rory was in the bathroom washing her face, Lorelai stopped in the doorway. "I'm so glad you decided to stay with us, at least tonight. It makes me feel a little better to have us all together," she mused quietly.

"I couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now when we're all in this state, and I don't want to be alone right now either," Rory replied, finishing her routine and turning on her heels to face her mother. Before she really realized what she was doing, she found herself falling into her mother's arms, sobbing.

"I don't really know what to do," she choked out. "I already miss him,"

"I know, babe, me too," Lorelai attempted to soothe her daughter, kissing her on the head. "But we're together now, and we don't have to have everything figured out right now, or ever, really. We're all just gonna take it one day at a time,"

Rory pulled away from the embrace after a while, and her mother's words kept ringing in her head as they said goodnight to each other. As she lay down to sleep that night, it was her mantra. Just take it one day at a time. It was certain that this loss was going to rock their world, but the Gilmores were strong and would come out better in the end, even if it didn't feel that way right now.


	2. November 2016, Part One

_November, 2016_

_Part One_

Luke had known Lorelai for over twenty years, and at this point, especially after living with her for nine of them, not much she did or said surprised him. He knew her like the back of his hand now, and sometimes he could even predict what she needed from him. But when she walked in the door with bags from a camping store, he was at a loss for words. Never in a million years did he expect to see her come home with camping supplies. Hell, he didn't even know where she had found a camping store, there wasn't a big enough demographic for one in Stars Hollow (and he had asked Taylor to start one, as he would use it himself, to no avail). She walked into the kitchen, where he was preparing dinner, with the bags on her arms, and did a twirl as if to show them off.

"Look what I found!" she announced proudly, and set them down on the table. "I need all of these things apparently, that's what Google said," she started taking the items out of the bags. Luke was dumbfounded as he watched her unload them. There were sleeping bag packages, lanterns, bug spray, some of those instant meal packages, and of course, a camping coffee maker, among other items. He couldn't believe that she had bought all this and probably spent a couple hundred dollars on all of it. What could she possibly be planning to use it all for?

"For what?" Luke scoffed. "You want to go camping? Because I'm swamped with end of the year billing for the diner until the beginning of the year, and for as long as I've known you, you've never shown any interest in nature activities, but I guess we could try to figure some time out if you really wanted to do that,"

'"No, this is just for me, don't worry, I won't drag you into it." Lorelai laughed. "I had an idea the other day,"

"So now you're not only going camping, but you're going camping alone ?

"Yeah, I'm gonna 'do Wild'. That book where that woman hikes that trail?"

"Okay, you know that's a crazy idea, right. That took her months to do, and it was a danger to her own safety sometimes. I really don't think you're prepared for something on that scale, especially when you've never really been in nature for long periods of time,"

"I'm not going to do the whole thing, just go to California and do some hiking. I feel like I don't know where I'm going with my life and I have to do something to change that. I thought maybe time in nature would help... it did for Cheryl!"

"Okay, whatever you think will help you I guess," Luke said. He didn't think this was a very good idea- Lorelai barely survived when there were power outages due to snow storms. How would she live without her phone or someone to give her coffee twenty four hours a day? But, she was also very hard to talk out of anything once she had an idea get into her head- see running an inn or sending her daughter to a school outside of town and her financial means to make sure she would get the best education possible. He knew she wouldn't last more than a day or two out in the elements. However, he wasn't dumb. He couldn't say that to her face. He had to let her believe that she could do this or he would never hear the end of it. So instead, as he set the table for their dinner, he just turned to her and said, "How can I help?" realizing that sometimes, you just have to let things go. Women do what they want even if and when you tell them that whatever they want to do is not a good idea. Luke had resigned himself to this fact years ago.

On the following Monday, sometime in the evening, Lorelai grabbed her suitcase and walked out of the plane, making sure to thank the pilot for the smooth and safe ride first. She couldn't believe herself that she was following through with this idea. It was something that came to her as she was awake in the middle of the night, one night shortly after she had finished the book. She had lots of ideas in the middle of the night due to her excess of caffeine that she consumed every day limiting what time she was able to fall asleep, and ninety percent of them were so out there they never left her brain. But for some reason, she couldn't let this one go. As Luke had said, she was never much for outdoorsy activities, and preferred to stay in with snacks, coffee, and a movie. But she felt like this trip was a good cleanser for her mind and heart and also a chance to get out of her safety bubble a little.

Lorelai got herself a rental car- the cheapest option for amount per day, as even she knew that she could want to bail on this project at any time, and drove to the cheap and dingy motel she had found using her phone. As she pulled into their parking lot, still she was thinking "what the hell am I doing?" but kept trudging along anyway.

The room she was staying in was fairly basic but was still clean and was all she needed- she didn't need a fancy room for this experience, and in fact it sort of added to the rustic and "fend for yourself" feeling that she was expecting. Even though it was only a little after eight, Lorelai wanted to get some rest soon after arriving so that she would be refreshed and able to hit the trail with an early start in the morning. After she changed into her pajamas, she left a message for Luke to tell him good night, that she loved him, and appreciated him being open to letting her do this, even if he was ambivalent and sort of doubtful about it. He was showing how accepting he was of the things she wanted to do by letting her at least try. With her goodnight messages sent, she set out the backpack she planned to hike with so that it would be ready for the morning, climbed into bed, and turned on the TV for background noise to drift off to. She found sleep quickly and settled in with hopes and curiosity of what the next day could and would bring.

Lorelai woke up at seven the next morning, earlier than her average, feeling very motivated. She wanted to do this and nothing was going to stop her. She carried this feeling all the way through getting herself ready for the day and eating from the small selection that was available to her for the hotel's free breakfast. The coffee was too weak for her tastes and the waffles were bland, but still she ate more than she probably would have otherwise, knowing that all she'd have access to all day was trail snacks. Once she had finished, she was ready to hit the road and went to get her things. She had bought the hiking bag that the people at the camping store had recommended. They were singing it's praises heavily, saying how it was the best quality and the easiest to carry, but as she started to attempt to pack it from her suitcase, she began to realize two things. First, that she had brought way too much crap along, and it wouldn't all fit. Did she really need a pair of slippers and a robe? Or three tubes of lipstick? Or a travel size sleep sound maker? No, but apparently at one time she thought she might. Second, even after she had narrowed it down to what she in her not professional not an outdoors-man opinion, absolutely needed to be out on the trail (and what could fit into the bag), it was heavy and painful to lift. She strapped it onto her back, as the instructional pamphlet had showed with a helpful photo, and could barely stand up. She felt like she was carrying two hundred pounds on her back, and in actuality was still probably carrying about thirty.

Frustrated and over thinking, she struggled to take off the backpack and lowered it to the ground. She unzipped a pocket, where she was keeping the snacks, and pulled out a package of trail mix (the kind with M&M's of course). She ripped open the package and began eating the snack, trying to think of her next move. Ultimately she decided that she was going to take a break. She would eat her snack, watch a crime show that she had found on the hotel's crappy cable selection, and call Luke to check in and give him an update on how it wasn't going as well as she hoped (probably as he was expecting her to say, sometimes he knew her better than she wanted to admit). She found her phone and dialed him. He didn't end up answering his cell, meaning it was probably still breakfast rush at the diner. She didn't have that much to say anyway, and didn't want to be a bother by calling him at the diner's number. So, she ended up leaving a silly voice mail about how her room was right next to the ice machine and how she had appointed herself monitor of the other guests' ice usage, and she was hoping for a badge and a hat. It was all really stupid and she knew Luke would roll his eyes and probably not find it very funny, but it made her laugh and helped take her mind off of her stress and confusion about the hiking. After the short rest, she was feeling a bit better and knew her next move. She was going to put her things that she absolutely needed in her purse and hit the trail. Because, sure, things were going wrong, but she wasn't about to give up.

It turned out that even getting on the trail was a hassle. Lorelai had forgotten her map and pass, and the park ranger was very stern and didn't let her through, no matter how much she begged or batted her eyelashes at him. She had traveled all this way just for this project and couldn't even do it. But, deciding to cut her losses and improvise, she turned around and went back to her car, then drove to another smaller, publicly accessible hiking trail. She wouldn't be able to get the whole experience, but could at least get some fresh air, time in nature, and attempt to clear her mind.

It was like magic. As soon as Lorelai started to walk, she felt at peace, like she could think straight and uninterrupted for the first time in months, really for the first time since her father had passed almost a year prior. And so this made her think about Richard and their relationship. And she began to realize something. She did have a happy memory with him after all. When her mother had asked everyone to share a story or a memory at his memorial, Lorelai had made a huge mistake. She ended up rambling and telling a story that was a little out of place and the upscale important business people in attendance probably weren't the best audience to tell it to. She was grieving and had had one too many cocktails (in an attempt to try to forget how she was feeling) and didn't think as hard as she should have about what to say. Obviously, her mother was not at all pleased, and there was still tension between them over it. So of course, when Lorelai remembered this moment on her walk, she wanted to tell her mother. She thought this was something Emily needed to hear.

Lorelai dialed her mother's cell and Emily picked up quickly, but sounded groggy, she must have been having a nap. Lorelai launched right into the story.

"It was my birthday," she began. "And Royston Sinclair the third, had broken my heart in front of everyone. I'd snuck into your closet that morning and took that green beaded top that was your mother's, that you kept so carefully wrapped up in tissue paper in your cedar closet. I was never supposed to touch it. But I stole it, and I wore it to school with my Chemin de Fer sailor jeans, and I thought no one was as stylish as I was. But Royston laughed. He said I was cheap. He said the only reason he'd been my boyfriend, was because he was mad at Angie Morgan, and he wasn't anymore. He called me loud and weird. He said there was a rumor going around that I wasn't actually a Gilmore. That I was the gardener's daughter and you'd bought me because you couldn't' have children of your own. And I was crushed. And I ran out of class, and I ran out of school, and I went to the mall. And I was sitting in the food court, wishing I had some money to buy a pretzel, 'cause I was starving, and I looked up and there was Dad. Standing in front of me at the mall. He never came to the day, he went to the mall. And he was furious. "Why aren't you in school?" he asked. "Tell me right now, Lorelai. Why aren't you in school?" And I tried to think of something, some lie that would make sense, but I couldn't. All I could think was that yesterday I had a boyfriend who loved me, and today I didn't. And I started to cry," Lorelai was sniffling at this point, but kept going with the story. She needed to let this out. "I just sat there like an idiot, bawling," she continued. "And finally after what seemed like forever, I managed to control myself a little bit, and I calmed down. And I waited. I waited for him to yell at me,to punish me, to ground me forever, to tell me how disappointed he was in me. And nothing finally, I got up enough courage to look up at him, and he was standing there with a pretzel.A giant pretzel covered with mustard. And he handed it to me and he said, "Let's go. And he took me to the movies. We saw Grease and An Unmarried Woman. Something for me and something for him, he said. He bought me popcorn and Red Hots, and we sat in the dark and we watched. And then he took me home and he gave me his sweater to cover up the stolen top, and he told you that he'd picked me up from school and taken me to the club for a soda. And that was it. We never discussed it again. It was the best birthday I ever had. I just thought you should know."

"Thank you, Lorelai," Emily finally said from the other line. And that was it. Lorelai hung up the phone and continued staring out into the vast expanse of nature that surrounded her. As she stood there, she also realized something else. She needed Luke in her life forever, and she wanted to be married, and she was going to do whatever it took to make that happen. She was going to fight for it.


	3. November 2016, Part Two

_November, 2016 _

_Part Two_

Lorelai started to walk up to the house, feeling a little tinge of nerves. She had finally arrived home after taking an early morning flight back to Connecticut from California, deciding that she had figured out the things she was aiming to figure out on her trip, and she wanted to tell Luke how she was feeling. But she was scared about whether he would be on board and feeling the same. She went to the back door and pushed it open, walking straight into the kitchen. It seemed like Luke was cooking something, and it smelled great. Maybe he somehow knew that she would be home today, and wanted to welcome her with something special. He did seem to have a sixth sense for things like that, and it was one of the things that Lorelai loved the most about him. But, pushing how happy she now felt to be home to the wayside, she had something she needed to say to him, and it was either never or now.

"Luke," she said quietly.

"Stop, I know where this is going," Luke cut her off. "You're gonna leave me,"

"What?" Lorelai was dumbfounded. Never in a million years did she think that she had ever given him a sign or even an inkling that she wanted to leave.

"Oh, but I've seen the signs," Luke said.

"What signs?" Lorelai's face twisted in confusion.

"Bolting signs. You were more distant, we've been fighting, you went to therapy, you started spending more time at the secret bar, for god's sake, you went on a hiking trip, when never before have you showed an interest in nature,"

"Even I know that was a little weird. To be honest, I didn't really think it through as much as I probably should have. Hiking is a lot more complicated than Cheryl made it seem. " Lorelai admitted. She wanted to tell him that she would never leave, but wanted to hear him out as well.

"And I have to tell you," Luke was almost emotional. "You're all I want in this world, Lorelai. We've been through so much. We had to go through seeing each other in different relationships. I had to watch you marry Christopher, and to be honest, I hate that guy. So when you came to me and said, 'I want to give us another try,' I finally felt like I had everything I wanted. I'm in this for the long haul. I will never leave. I will never think about leaving."

"Luke," Lorelai said timidly. This was the make or break moment. She took a deep breath, gathering strength. "I think we should get married,"

"Are you sure?" Luke asked.

"One hundred percent, I think we've waited too long. And we know that we want to be together, so why not make it official? That's what I realized up on the trails. That I wanted you, this, us, forever.I've already set a date, it's this month, on a Sunday, because I know you like to be closed early on Sundays,"

"Well then," Luke left the room and went to a decorative dresser they kept in the hall. Lorelai thought he was mad and leaving, but he returned a few moments later, with a ring box. He opened it to reveal Lorelai's old engagement ring from 2006. She had given it back to him when they decided to break up and break off their engagement. When he moved back in with her, he brought it along and stuck it in a drawer, just in case. He had been moved back in for nine years now, and not once did Lorelai ever allude to knowing that it was there. And he had kept it all these years, perhaps hoping that one day, he would get to use it again. And today was that day.

"You know, I should get you a better one, or a newer one," he commented, but Lorelai stopped him.

"Don't you dare," she laughed, gesturing for him to put it on her finger. "This one is just perfect and clearly, it's the one I'm meant to have," she leaned into him and they kissed, both feeling for the first time in a long time that everything was absolutely perfect.

Luke and Lorelai spent the rest of the evening in a blissful, we-just-got-engaged haze. They couldn't stop kissing or snuggling as they sat on the couch, while Luke dutifully sat through yet another Lifetime movie. Even though he actually couldn't stand them, and didn't see the point in them, he didn't want to break their happiness spell even over something small, so he watched and didn't say a word.

"Ready for bed, fiance?" Lorelai asked coyly. The movie was over and they were just sitting in the living room, room lit by candles and the string of fairy lights hanging on the archway into the dining room.

"Sure am," Luke yawned. He had had a long day.

The two got ready for bed, doing the routine teeth brushing and washing up. When they had finished, they went into the bedroom together. They fluffed the pillows, pulled back the covers, and climbed in- Luke on the right and Lorelai on the left, the way it always was, every night since they had moved back in together.

"I can't believe that after all this time, we'll finally be husband and wife. You know, after a while I started to think, as long as we're happy being together, making a life together, sharing responsibilities, and loving each other, it didn't really matter whether or not we were officially married by the law, but I can't lie, it makes me so happy," Lorelai mused as she turned over in the bed. "You truly are my forever, Luke,"

"And you are mine," he said and they kissed, again, for what was probably the 600th time that day. Then they fell asleep, tangled up in each other's arms.


End file.
